The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of finding the Northwest Passage. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as an unknown predator stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear there is no escape.

The 10 part series centers on the character of Captain Crozier, left in command after Sir John Franklin's death.

AMC's official synopsis for The Terror:

Inspired by a true story, The Terror, from executive producers Ridley Scott, David Kajganich and Soo Hugh, takes viewers on a harrowing journey. The story centers on the Royal Navy's perilous voyage into unchartered territory as the crew attempts to discover the Northwest Passage. Faced with treacherous conditions, limited resources, dwindling hope and fear of the unknown, the crew is pushed to the brink of extinction. Frozen, isolated and stuck at the end of the earth, The Terror highlights all that can go wrong when a group of men, desperate to survive, struggle not only with the elements, but with each other.